I'm looking for a displacement measurement sensor with a range of about 200~300mm and a resolution of 0.2~0.3mm.

The sensing object is a knitted fabric & the output of the sensor should be either 4-20mA or 0-10V.

There are plenty of sensors that use the laser triangulation method, but they are extremely expensive (> 1500 USD). Does anyone know a cheaper (< 1000 USD) alternative that may fit those requirements?

 

Try a Sony Magnescale or Heidenhain, but may not meet your price requirement.

 

Check the laser sensors at automation direct.com. Not cheap but cheaper.

Regards
cww

 

Have you looked at ultrasonic sensors? Not sure what sort of resolutions they can get, but they start at $100 for the cheap ones.